The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council is asking the federal government to conduct a status review of green sea turtles in Guam, the Northern Marianas and American Samoa.
The council says the goal is to restore the tradition cultural harvest of the marine reptiles.
Although populations of green sea turtles in the territories are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, an international body of sea turtle experts determined last year that they are no longer endangered or threatened, council member Sylvan Igisomar of the Northern Marianas said.
The council requested the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service expedite reviews of the green sea turtle populations in the three territories.
The council is also asking the Trump administration to consider negotiating an exemption for cultural harvest or withdrawing from the Inter-American Convention for the protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles.
Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds said the convention remains an obstacle to addressing cultural harvest.
“This convention undermines U.S. law, which is the [Endangered Species Act], because it prevents us from actually allowing a cultural harvest,” Simonds said. “It’s either renegotiating and adding the exemption for cultural harvest, or leave the convention.”